‘Beverly Hillbillies’ mansion sets California record
Forget the bubbling crude, there’s money in real estate, Jed!
Classic television watchers may recognize Chartwell from the credits of “The Beverly Hillbillies” sitcom. However, in real estate circles, it has long been considered among L.A.’s great estates.
The Bel-Air residence of late media mogul A. Jerrold Perenchio has sold for about $150 million, making it the most expensive home sale ever recorded in the Golden State. The buyer is Lachlan Murdoch, son of Rupert Murdoch and co-chairman of publishing company News Corp., the Los Angeles Times has confirmed.
Priced as high as $350 million as a pocket listing, the estate centers on a 1930s French neoclassical-style chateau of 25,000 square feet that sits on 10 acres. Also trading in the deal was the former home of President Ronald Reagan and his wife, Nancy, which sits behind the main estate.
The price surpasses Formula One heiress Petra Ecclestone’s $119.75 million sale this year of the Manor, a 56,500-square-foot chateau in Holmby Hills.
Designed by architect Sumner Spaulding, the limestone-clad estate includes such Gatsby-esque features as a ballroom, scaled formal rooms and a vaulted foyer. The custom wine vault can hold 12,000 bottles. There’s also a paneled dining room.
Perenchio, who died in 2017 at 86, acquired the main estate and three contiguous parcels in the 1980s. Under his direction, the main residence was enhanced and restored by designer Henri Samuel and architect Pierre Barbe.
Obscured from the street by walls and hedges, the grounds contain manicured gardens, elaborate fountain features, a tennis court, a 75-foot swimming pool and a pool house. A separate guesthouse was designed by noted architect Wallace Neff.
Since his death, Perenchio’s estate has listed and sold a number of properties, including large holdings in Malibu. Across from Chartwell, a vacant property Perenchio used as a private vineyard sold in November for $12 million.
It’s No Early-Bird Special
Celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis, star of Food Network’s “Giada at Home,” has sold her scenic Pacific Palisades home for the full asking price of $7 million.
Found in Via Bluffs, the contemporary home backs up to Potrero Canyon Park, taking in sweeping views of the ocean and Santa Monica Mountains. Inside, an indoor-outdoor interior fits five bedrooms and 5.5 bathrooms into 6,500 square feet.
Walls of glass brighten the vast open floor plan, which combines a lounge, dining area, living room and sleek kitchen with a 24-foot island. A dual-sided fireplace runs floor to ceiling.
Another vast open entertainer’s space combines a game room, media room, wet bar and glass-encased wine cellar. Windows take in underwater views of the pool.
A floating staircase ascends to the second story, where the master suite adds a marble bathroom, a skylighted closet and a deck with a fireplace. The outdoor space overlooks a cozy backyard with a swimming pool, spa and lawn.
A native of Italy, De Laurentiis moved to L.A. as a child and graduated from UCLA. The 49-year-old has starred in multiple Food Network shows over the years including “Behind the Bash” and “Everyday Italian,” for which she won a Daytime Emmy Award.
Looking to Pass the Keys
Professional basketball player Sasha Vujacic, who won two NBA championships with the L.A. Lakers, is calling it quits in the South Bay area of Los Angeles. After a decade of ownership, he’s listed his townhouse in Manhattan Beach for sale at $3.799 million.
That’s more than double the $1.85 million he paid for the place in 2009.
Found a few blocks from the beach, the two-story home features multiple outdoor spaces to take advantage of the ocean views. A balcony hangs off the master suite, while the living room opens to a wraparound deck.
Inside, white oak floors and white-painted beams sandwich sunny living spaces. There’s a tile-splashed chef ’s kitchen, as well as a windowlined dining area.
The master suite tacks on a fireplace and built-in bench seating. It’s one of three bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms in 2,100 square feet. Below sits a garage with a checkered floor and a private backyard.
After a few years in an Italian basketball league, Vujacic was drafted by the Lakers in 2004 and went on to win championships with the team in 2009 and 2010 alongside Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol.
Still Getting Around
Legendary singer-songwriter Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys has sold his home on Lake Arrowhead for $2.85 million.
The chalet-inspired home, built in 2012, overlooks the water and includes a solarpowered dock slip and a lakeside deck. Tall spires, brown-shingle siding and stone accents give the multilevel house a storybook feel.
Past the iron and wood front doors, the home opens to a great room with vaulted and beamed ceilings. A fireplace sits at the far end of the room, which adjoins the formal dining room. The centerisland kitchen completes the open-concept space.
The living space, some 4,500 square feet, also has a lower-level family/game room, five bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms. An elevator services each of the three floors.
Wilson, 77, wrote such Beach Boys hits as “Good Vibrations” and was inducted with the group into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988. He has gone on to release 11 solo albums, including “No Pier Pressure” in 2015.
The property originally came up for sale in 2016 for about $3.3 million and was more recently listed for $2.999 million. Wilson and his wife, Melinda, bought the house in 2012 for $2.1 million.